Modern equestrian saddles possess various common elements, including a seat portion on which a rider sits, a pommel, a cantle, and side flaps. Underpinning these structures is the saddle tree, known to be a base on which the remainder of the saddle is built. The saddle tree typically includes a body defining a frame for the saddle, and including a head portion, two side portions, and a cantle or end portion. Among other functions, the saddle tree determines the width of a saddle. A conventional saddle tree is manufactured of wood or a suitable synthetic material, and eventually is provided with one or more layers of padding and covered in leather or a suitable leather-like synthetic material to define the saddle. It is an important part of saddle making and saddle fitting to properly match the saddle width, determined by the saddle tree width, to the back of the horse which will be wearing the saddle. An improperly fitted saddle may result in discomfort and potential injury to the horse's back.
Indeed, saddle width is the primary criteria by which a saddle is measured and fitted to a horse, although of course length of tree and proper balance must also be considered. The saddle must clear the withers of the horse, but yet must not be so narrow as to pinch the horse's back. The tree must be positioned to prevent interfering with the movement of the horse's shoulder. The seat of the saddle must be positioned so that the rider, when riding correctly, is placed over the horse's center of balance. Saddle blankets or pads can assist in correcting minor fit problems, but no amount of padding can compensate for a poorly-fitted saddle.
Conventional saddles typically include a non-adjustable saddle tree, and for that reason a particular saddle may only fit a narrow range of horses. That is, a saddle which comfortably fits one particular horse may not fit other, larger or smaller horses, or even horses of substantially the same size but having differently-shaped backs.
Even more, the same saddle may not fit even the same horse for an extended period of time without adjustments. As a horse advances in conditioning, age, and training, the back muscles and even the underlying skeletal structures change to some degree. Thus, particularly with English saddles, periodic adjustments to the saddle may be necessary. In some cases, a horse will physically develop to a degree that a different saddle may have to be purchased.
Still further, an individual rider may ride a number of horses, each having a differently sized and shaped back, over the course of a riding career or even concurrently in the case of a professional rider or an upper-level amateur rider. With a conventional, non-adjustable saddle tree, this requires that the rider return a saddle to a professional saddle fitter for adjustment, or alternatively be able to purchase or otherwise access a number of saddles of differing widths. Either option increases the expense incurred by that rider. However, failing to properly fit the saddle to a horse risks injury to the horse.
Seeking a compromise between cost and safety, attempts have been made in the art to provide saddles having adjustable saddle trees, to allow incrementally widening or narrowing the saddle tree (and the width of the saddle incorporating the tree) to comfortably fit a range of horses. One such adjustable saddle tree is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,827 to Pellew, which teaches a saddle tree comprising plate members configured for pivotal movement, and an adjusting mechanism for accomplishing such pivotal movement.
Such devices are suitable for their intended purpose, that is, adjusting the position of opposed elements of a saddle tree relative to one another to allow saddle width adjustment. However, improvements in such devices are desirable. For example, it is known in the fastener arts that vibration and temperature extremes may cause loosening of threaded elements such as those describe for the adjusting mechanism described in the '827 patent. Further, in conventional saddles incorporating an adjustable saddle tree, the opposed side panels of the saddle tree may remain relatively fixed in place relative to one another only when the weight of a rider is fully on a saddle seat incorporating it.
On the other hand, when the rider's weight is not fully on the saddle seat, movement of the opposed side panels relative to one another may occur. For example, during such activities as posting, jumping, galloping over uneven terrain, and the like a rider frequently adopts a “two-point” stance, that is, feet in the stirrups but with no contact between rider and saddle seat. At such times, the opposed side panels of a conventional adjustable saddle tree may move or displace relative to one another. This movement or flexing is at the least distracting, and may potentially be injurious to both horse and rider. For this reason, there remains a need in the art for improvements in adjustable saddles/saddle trees.